Recoil adapter for a gun



Sept. 2, 1958 J. F. O'BRIEN 5 RECOIL ADAPTER FOR A GUN Filed June 18, 1954 2 Sheets-Sheet 1 IN EN TOR.

HTTOENEYS Sept. 2, 1958 J. F. O'BRIEN 2,849,925

RECOIL ADAPTER FOR A GUN 2 Sheets-Sheet 2 R. rian II VV T0 Ffi,

fdldfiav- HTTOENETS Filed June 18, 1954 thereon.

2,849,925 Patented Sept. 2, 1958 RECOIL ADAPTER FOR A GUN John F. OBrien, Springfield, Mass, assignor to the United States of America as re 1' the y p esented by the Secretary of The invention described herein may be manufactured and used by or for the Government for governmental purposes without the payment to me of any royalty drum support to a pair of laterally-disposed adapters mounted to the receiver, and accuracy of the gun requires perfect balance between the adapters. However,

because of the high value of the recoil force and the short allowable recoil stroke of the drum support even a close ap roximation of such balance is ditficult to obtain. Such balancing would be obviated if a single adapter were employed to transmit recoil forces from the drum assembly to the receiver of the gun.

It Is an object of my invention therefore to provide a single recoil adapter for a gun.

An additional object of my invention is to provide a simple, compact and efiective adapter for cushioning the recoil energy transmitted between the drum support and the receiver of a gun.

A further object of my invention is to provide a readily mountable recoil adapter for a gun including a receiver having an integral cartridge drum bearing.

In carrying out my invention a set of ring springs is secured against a shoulder of the drum support of a gun and held in place by a nut for applying an initial load to the ring springs. A split sleeve having inwardly disposed flanges for respectively engaging the end rings of the set of springs is disposed around the rings and the sleeve is inserted in the continuous bearing of the receiver of the gun. The bearing is provided with lugs and the sleeve is provided with grooves for bayonet v recoil adapter.

According to the drawings, a gun 12 includes a twopiece receiver 14 having an integral bearing 16 with a bore 17. A barrel assembly includes a drum support 18 having a portion 20 secured to a barrel 22. A plurality of ring springs 24 are secured against a shoulder 26 of portion 20 by an adjusting nut 28 threaded on portion 20 to preload springs 24. Springs 24 extend longitudinally between shoulder 26 and nut 28 for enclosure within a cylindrical sleeve 30 and between flanges 32 and 34 respectively projecting inwardly at the ends of such sleeve.

Sleeve 30 is diametrically parted into sections 36 and 38 for assembly around springs 24 and pins 40 are secured to section 38 for projection into mating indentations 41 in section 36 to prevent relative longitudinal movement of the sections.

Sleeve 30 engages bore 17 and includes lugs 42 for engagement with grooves 43 corresponding thereto in bearing 16 for bayonet connection therewith. Sleeve 30 is provided with a projecting tongue 44 and a bifurcated lever 46 is pivoted thereon at 48 for turning sleeve 30 between the unlocked and locked positions of the bayonet connection and for projection into a locking notch 50 of bearing 16 to retain the bayonet connection in the locked position. Lever 46 includes a plunger 52 biased by a spring 54 to selectively project into indents 56 or 58 respectively to retain lever 46 in the turning or projection position thereof.

When the barrel assembly is secured in receiver 14, recoil and counterrecoil forces respectively are transmitted by nut 28 and shoulder 26 to flanges 32 and 34 and eventually to receiver 14 through springs 24 which absorb a part of such forces.

Thus it is seen that the structure of the device is simple and the assembly thereof in the gun in uncomplicated.

It has been found that the efficiency of such spring devices in cushioning a force increases with the diameter thereof and therefore it is more advantageous to use one than two such devices of smaller diameter. Also, where but one is used, there is no question of balancing oifcenter loads.

Although a particular embodiment of the invention has been described in detail herein, it is evident that many variations may be devised within the spirit and scope thereof and the following claims are intended to include such variations.

I claim:

1. An adapter for a gun including a receiver having an integral bearing with a locking notch and a barrel assembly slidable in a recoil cycle therein, comprising a plurality of ring springs secured around the barrel assembly and preloaded, a sleeve for enclosing said ring springs provided with a projecting tongue including a pair of indents and disposed for bayonet connection with the bearing to transmit recoil and counterrecoil forces between the barrel assembly and the receiver, and a bifurcated lever pivoted on said tongue and spring-biased for selective engagement with said indents for rotation of said sleeve to complete said connection, and for engagement with the locking notch to secure said connection.

2. A recoil adapter for a gun including a receiver having a bearing portion provided with internal grooves and a locking notch and a barrel assembly slidably mounted in the bearing portion and including a drum support and a barrel mounted thereto, said recoil adapter comprising a portion of the drum support disposed between an annular shoulder and a nut threadably mounted to the drum support, a plurality of ring springs coaxially disposed on said portion between said shoulder and nut whereby said ring springs are preloaded by adjustment of said nut, a sleeve for inclosing said ring prings. flange means on said sleeve engaged with said ring References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS Joyce Jan. 15, 1924 Bell et a1. Oct. 30, 1928 Bell et al. Mar. 6, 1945 Schneider July 31, 1945 Meyers et a1. June 1, 1948 Lucht June 19, 1956 I FOREIGN PATENTS Great Britain Feb. 25, 1944 

